Virtualization, a powerful technology concept commonly associated with high-end applications in servers, is coming to the microcontrollers featuring multiple execution domains via multiple CPUs with a lock-step mechanism. The microcontrollers that incorporate hardware-based virtualization-assisted functions mark a new integration milestone in the embedded design world. Moreover, by running multiple software components on a single MCU […]
FAQ
What matters for MCUs serving OTA functions in automotive designs
The technology features like over-the-air (OTA) software updates and data management are reinventing the hardware of today for the software of tomorrow. And if there is a single most prominent component at this technology crossroads, it’s the microcontroller. Moreover, the growing popularity of OTA functions is most visible in automotive environments where they wirelessly and […]
What you need to know about MCUs for servo control
A servo motor, used for position feedback of angular rotation, applies pulse width modulation (PWM) signals for precise control over motion. Industrial design engineers can change the rotation angle and direction of the motor by varying the width of the PWM signal, and here, the role of MCU, which generates the PWM signal, inevitably becomes […]
Vacuum tubes we still (have to) use: The photomultiplier tube, Part 2
We live in a world of solid-state active devices that have made most vacuum tubes obsolete, but a few types remain as they are still indispensable. Part 1 of this article explained the basics of the photomultiplier tube. This part looks into other PMT characteristics. Q: Are there solid-state functional equivalents to the PMT? A: […]
Vacuum tubes we still (have to) use: The photomultiplier tube, Part 1
Maybe we can’t live with them, but we can’t live without them, at least not yet: the photomultiplier tube and the traveling wave tube are two vacuum electron-tube devices that are still viable and needed in our solid-state world.) It’s widely accepted conventional wisdom that almost “everything” has gone solid state and that vacuum tubes […]
How zero-touch provisioning simplifies IoT links to cloud
Zero-touch provisioning eliminates the manual labor needed to connect devices to a network and allows these devices to be provisioned and configured automatically. It’s especially critical for small and mid-size companies in terms of cost and time of managing the provisioning logistics. While it’s a common concept in the networking industry at large, MCU suppliers […]
Electrified Locomotives, Tunnels, and the Pennsylvania Railroad, Part 3: The station
Part 2 of this article looked at the amazing engineering and construction of dual under-river tunnels that were constructed to connect NY’s Manhattan Island to New Jersey and the rest of the mainland US and the electric locomotives that made the project possible. This final part looks at the design, short life, and sad fate […]
Electrified Locomotives, Tunnels, and the Pennsylvania Railroad, Part 2: The tunnels
Part 1 of this article established the context of the problem and why it had defied solution for so long. Once electric locomotives became a viable source of motive power, the tunnel project moved ahead with astonishing speed. The tunnel defies the critics Critics said it couldn’t be done, and they had reason to say […]
Electrified Locomotives, Tunnels, and the Pennsylvania Railroad: Astonishing engineering but a partially sad ending, Part 1: The challenge
The development of powerful electric traction motors and locomotives was key to enabling visionaries to realize their dream of a mile-long tunnel under the Hudson River, linking New York to New Jersey and the rest of the mainland USA. Over the past few years, there’s been semi-serious talk about digging new tunnels under the Hudson […]
Bandwidth basics and fundamentals
Bandwidth has a variety of meanings in different contexts. In signal processing, it is the difference in frequency (Hertz) between the upper and lower limits in a continuous frequency band. In instrumentation, such as an oscilloscope, it is the range of frequencies above 0 Hz in which the instrument exhibits a specified level of performance. […]